Man convicted in Slidell robbery involving stolen TVs

A man involved in a Slidell stickup over a pair of stolen televisions has been convicted of simple robbery. Cornell Martin Jr., 31, was tried in St. Tammany Parish on a charge of armed robbery, which could have put him in prison for 99 years.

But Martin wasn't wielding the gun when he and Javeion D. Baldwin, 21, arrived to meet a teenager in the parking lot of North Shore Square mall in November 2010, the victim testified at Martin's trial.

The 18-year-old told police that he met the pair the week before at a barber shop and arranged to buy two televisions from them for $600. Police later learned that Martin had stolen two televisions from a Mississippi Walmart.

When the teenager arrived at the mall parking lot, Martin, Baldwin and a third man demanded the money but offered him no TVs. He asked to first look at the televisions, and then Baldwin pulled out a black handgun and demanded the cash and his wallet, he told police.

The teenager gave them the money and wallet and ran; he later identified Martin in a photo lineup, police said.

Had the St. Tammany Parish jury found Martin guilty of armed robbery, he could have been sent to prison for 10 to 99 years without the possibility of parole. But the jury settled on the lesser charge of simple robbery, which is punishable by a $2,000 fine and up to seven years in prison.

Judge Martin E. Coady will sentence Cornell Martin on Sept. 22.

Baldwin, his alleged conspirator who carried the weapon, is scheduled for trial on Oct. 11.